ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, June 24, 1996 TAG: 9606240086
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-3 EDITION: METRO
DATELINE: NORFOLK
SOURCE: Associated Press
Twenty-six Norfolk State University students and recent graduates have been chosen for behind-the-scenes jobs broadcasting the 1996 Olympics throughout the world.
Nearly 1,200 students competed for 650 spots on the Olympic broadcast team. The Norfolk State students - who will serve as audio assistants, press aides and video operators - are the only ones from Virginia participating.
``When this opportunity opened up, it seemed like something you had to take advantage of, heck or high water,'' said Chris Hopkins of Norfolk, whose duties will include checking commentators' microphones and monitoring a labyrinth of audio cable at track and field events.
``For someone coming out of college, you wouldn't normally get this kind of opportunity,'' said Angela L. Moore, a recent NSU graduate from Fairfax County. ``Working with the media at the Olympics, you'd have to be a seasoned professional, not someone who just graduated.''
NSU and 40 other colleges in the Southeast are participating in the Host Broadcast Training Program, offered by the Atlanta Committee for the Olympic Games and Clark Atlanta University.
To qualify for Olympic jobs, students spent a semester at Clark Atlanta taking specialized courses in the technological end of broadcasting. Students also underwent interviews and competency exams.
Their efforts yielded jobs that, although lasting just a few weeks, offer a glimpse of glamour - and great pay. The students' contracts specify that they not disclose their salaries, but an NSU news release inadvertently quoted one student as saying she will earn $4,000 for 10 days' work as an audio assistant.
``A lot of people are getting paid a nice amount of money,'' said Moore, 24. ``Put it this way - I wish I could keep working for the Olympic committee even when there's no Olympics.''
But while the pay is extraordinary, so, too, are the challenges of living in Atlanta as it's taken over by millions of Olympics-bound tourists, few of whom are likely to be prepared for its legendary heat.
``Atlanta in the summer is no fun,'' Hopkins said., whose wife, Christine, will stay in Norfolk while he's at the Olympics. ``I have a feeling it will be anything from eight- to 14-hour days, five to seven days a week.
``But they're paying me a pretty chunk of change, and I'm honored to be part of an international broadcast.''
LENGTH: Medium: 52 linesby CNB